Gerald O'Donovan built Raleigh Track Frame

Hi ,

I have been offered a Gerald O'Donovan Raleigh Track Frame,

Does anyone know much about them?

Who, Raleigh? Nope, never heard of them.

Give me the name and number of the vendor and I'll do you a favour. ;p

Alternatively, just fucking google it.

Cheers Andy. It sounds interesting. Just wondered if anyone on here was riding one.

I think Hippy has one?

If it's a price you can afford then go for it. They are well built frames with a good reputation for craftmanship and look the business.

Cheers Andy.

if it is an SB frame number then it is about as good as raleigh make
gerald o'donovan was the Special Bike Products head / framebuilder in the 80's
these bikes are rare and much sought after if you get it for anywhere near a decent price and it's a 58-60 in red and black made of 531C awesomeness i'll have it off you in a second

NICE

NICE

VERY NICE 753

http://radpropaganda.org/raleigh-team-pro-timeline/raleigh-team-trauma-professional/

here is a website selling a few with a price guide

check out the yahoo groups for raleigh team bikes ( SB ) frame numbers

if it looks like this i'll give you a tenner more than you pay for it ! ...ish

Gerald O'Donovan was the honcho at Carlton when it was bought up by Raleigh in 1960 or so. Raleigh who had stopped making quality lightweight cycles at Nottingham. The Carlton facility in Worksop remained a custom hand-crafted bike shop, producing all of the top-of-the-line (i.e. handbuilt) Reynolds 531-framed bicycles for Raleigh until 1974 when it was moved to Ilkeston to become Raleigh Special Products. Reynolds 753 tubing was introduced in 1975. Carlton was for the most part run autonomously by O'Donovan.

Raleigh still built Carltons after Carlton's Worksop plant had shut, largely due to pressure from O'Donovan. Late top-spec Carltons and the much-more-numerourous Raleighs, road and track, were pretty much identical. Raleigh frame numbers - if the bike is any good (i.e not a downmarket Raleigh beater - were all SP... numbers), meaning Special Products which was the identity of the Ilkeston plant. O'Donovan was not I think really a frame builder - as in goggles and gas torch - but he knew an awful lot about the business and about design. Raleigh 753's were amongst the best frames at the time (up to late 1980s.)

Top frame you have there. I have one very like it - runs like a dream but road not track.

I went out with a lady who worked for Raleigh of America in the Boston head quarters in the early 80's and they all called O'Donovan GOD and were in awe of him.

Cheers Guys,
It is an Ex-National Squad Team Frame in 1986 Commonwealth Games colours, red white and blue with a barbers pole seat tube. with the SB frame number.

Would be very interested if you can post a picture 1/8th-inch.

Photos are on Raleigh Yahoo Group

@ de selby

SB frame numbers not SP

Is the Yahoo Raleigh group the same as the TI Raleigh Team Pro group??

Yes Sorry thats what I meant.